Death of a Generation
How the Assassinations of Diem and JFK Prolonged the Vietnam War
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:14th Oct '04
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This compelling work explores the impact of John F. Kennedy's assassination, presenting evidence that he intended to withdraw U.S. troops from Vietnam, potentially saving thousands of lives had he lived.
Death of a Generation explores the significant question of how the course of American history might have changed had John F. Kennedy survived his assassination. The book delves into the complex implications of his presidency, particularly regarding the Vietnam War. Howard Jones presents compelling evidence suggesting that Kennedy was inclined to withdraw the majority of U.S. troops and pursue a diplomatic resolution to the crisis in Vietnam, a stance that has long been a topic of debate among historians and political analysts.
Drawing from newly declassified documents, including testimonies from the Church Committee and recordings of White House discussions, Jones reveals that Kennedy believed the war's outcome was contingent upon the South Vietnamese leadership. In early 1962, he directed Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to create a withdrawal plan aimed at bringing home special military forces by the end of 1965. However, this plan was derailed by the Buddhist revolt, leading Kennedy to mistakenly endorse a coup against Premier Diem, believing it would facilitate U.S. disengagement.
The aftermath of the coup, which resulted in Diem's assassination and subsequent chaos in Vietnam, only reinforced Kennedy's belief in the South Vietnamese government's inability to secure victory. Tragically, with Kennedy's assassination, Lyndon Johnson escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Jones argues that had Kennedy lived, his withdrawal strategy could have saved the lives of thousands of Americans and countless Vietnamese, offering a poignant reflection on the potential consequences of political decisions in turbulent times.
"In Death of a Generation, historian Howard Jones advances the theory that President John F. Kennedy, had he lived, would have pursued his withdrawal plan from Vietnam. This is a 'what if' book, and lay historians may wonder whether such a book has a place in history. The answer in this case is a strong affirmative. 'What if' histories make a useful contribution when they treat events that clearly bear on decisions of the present."--Richmond Times-Dispatch
"A major piece of scholarship.... The account of the events leading up to the assassination of South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem is particularly good, and the assessment of its dire effect on the nature of the U.S. commitment to South Vietnam, convincing."--Foreign Affairs
"Argues quite convincingly that had the coup not been bungled and Johnson not propelled to leadership, Vietnam may have ended quite differently--almost certainly not in the deaths of 58,000 Americans and untold hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese. Solid history marked by memorable moments (including a glimpse of David Halberstam looting Saigon's presidential palace) and the highly effective use of hitherto classified documents."--Kirkus Reviews
"Jones presents a work of outstanding scholarship, on which he spent 15 years researching recently declassified State Department records and a comprehensive array of other primary and secondary documents, to arrive at a persuasively affirmative response....This scholarly appraisal ranks with Fredrik Logevall's Choosing War and David Kaiser's American Tragedy as one of the most important current investigations of the diplomacy of the early war."--Library Journal
"Jones...argues that the instability of Diem's government, followed by the assassinations of Diem and JFK, combined to create an environment where escalation of American involvement in Vietnam became inevitable, thus triggering what Jones terms 'the death of a generation."....Jones goes deeper into the existing evidence supporting this thesis than have most other writers, and does so in a highly readable manner."--Publishers Weekly
- Winner of A ^IChoice^R Outstanding Academic Title for 2004.
ISBN: 9780195176056
Dimensions: 142mm x 227mm x 39mm
Weight: 744g
592 pages